SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It’s 4:30 a.m. when Steve Foster and Darren Holmes arrive at dark and chilly Salt River Fields. While everyone else is still tucked under the covers, the Rockies’ dynamic duo is hopped up on optimism for a new day.

Nearly every moment of their busy morning is filled to the brim. First comes a workout in the gym, then a review of the past day, followed by a preview of the day ahead. At 5:45, the duo engages in a half-hour Bible study with five or six other Rockies employees.

Foster, the pitching coach, is 51. Holmes, the former Rockies closer-turned-bullpen coach, also is 51. They are brothers in arms — from their shared Christian faith, to their unwavering belief in positive thinking, to their blunt honesty, to their shiny chrome domes.

“When you eliminate the ego, like Darren and I have, then you can find a common denominator,” said Foster, now in his fourth season with Colorado. “It’s not about our pride or who gets credit. It’s all about the player, it’s all about the pitcher. ‘Holmy’ and I believe in that.”

In very simplified terms, Foster deals with hearts and minds, while Holmes is the mechanical guru, tinkering with the pitchers’ moving parts.

“They are very definitely two very different pieces, but they work together,” said right-hander Jon Gray, who is poised to become Colorado’s ace as he enters his third full season in the majors. ” ‘Holmy’ is on top of my mechanics. He has a really good idea how to fix things, like making sure I get the ball out when I’m over the rubber.

” ‘Fosty’ has really worked a lot with me on pitch calling and harnessing my emotions in a game. He’s even helped me with off-field stuff. He’s a good guy to lean on.”

Building a pitching staff that must compete at the foot of the Rocky Mountains is considered one of the most difficult and thankless jobs in the majors. But Colorado’s homegrown rotation, combined with a bullpen bolstered by the high-priced free-agent signings of Wade Davis (three years, $52 million), Bryan Shaw (three years, $27 million) and Jake McGee (three years, $27 million), might lead the Rockies to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history.

“I’m really excited for this season, and I have a view of what it’s going to look like,” said Holmes, who pitched five seasons for the Rockies (1993-97), compiling 46 saves. “Time will tell when the games get started, but we have quality of pitching.

“It’s been hard to get this type of pitching to come to Colorado. I think last year was the start of something for this organization — the start of winning. And I think (general manager) Jeff Bridich and the organization did a great job of establishing the winning.”

Last season, en route to an 87-75 record and a berth in the National League wild-card playoff game, Colorado relievers finished 24-19 (.558) for the seventh-highest winning percentage in franchise history and the best since going 35-26 (.574) in 2007. The bullpen’s 4.40 ERA was the seventh-lowest in franchise history and 10th-lowest in the NL.

The rotation included four rookies — right-handers German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and Jeff Hoffman and lefty Kyle Freeland — who combined for 93 starts last season. All told, Colorado’s rotation finished 63-56 while compiling a 4.59 ERA, the fifth-lowest ERA in franchise history.

Manager Bud Black has warned of a “sophomore slump” as opposing teams make adjustments to Colorado’s young arms. It’s up to Foster and Holmes to make sure their pitchers counterpunch.

They are attacking the task head on, with relentless energy and unapologetic earnestness. Remember, when Foster took the job, his favorite expression was, “It’s not about altitude, it’s about attitude.”

‘It’s about commitment to these young men,” Foster said. “We encourage them daily, we engage them daily, we equip them daily, we empower them and we edify them daily. Those ‘five E’s’ are the things Darren and I do together. We just happen to do them a little bit differently.”

Foster checks in daily with every pitcher in the Rockies clubhouse, monitoring mood, performance, health and even what they are eating. Holmes spends hours in the video room, breaking down windups and deliveries.

“I don’t like to go to guys and just tell them stuff,” Holmes said. “You have to be able to answer why. I like to have it on film first, so they can go back and get a visual on it. Then I show them. When guys can get a visual on things, they are really responsive.”

Black pitched for 15 seasons in the majors, was the pitching coach for seven seasons with the Angels and managed the Padres for eight full seasons. He definitely has his own philosophy on pitching, and some wondered whether he would stick with Foster and Holmes when he was hired as Colorado’s manager prior to the 2017 season.

Black, however, has expressed full confidence in the duo.

“When I was first hired and I was talking to Jeff (Bridich) and our baseball operations team, they had such good things to say about the tandem of Steve and Darren,” Black said. “Once I met them and we started interacting, I knew right away that the Rockies were in good hands with those two guys.”